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Thank you everyone for your comments.

6 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Suggestion #1, do not try to compare Princess to Celebrity. It’s more fun if you treat this cruise like it is. Your first cruise on Princess. 
 

Have a great cruise! 😁

I fully appreciate that each line has their own strengths (and weaknesses) and evaluate each cruise on it's own and am quite sure we will enjoy this cruise as much as the others because it was chosen for the itinerary (bucket list for my DW) and the fact that we have been wanting to explore other lines. That said, comparisons are inevitable.

5 hours ago, Lady Arwen said:

You should also post this on the Celebrity boards.  Princess cruisers are very loyal to the brand.

LOL. Just kidding but have you met the rabid defenders of the Celebrity brand over there?

Recently booked our first Princess Cruise in a Reserve Collection mini-suite on the Regal Princess. DW & I are fairly seasoned cruisers at this point, but almost exclusively on X. This will be the second time we’ve booked an entry level suite and as best as I can tell, opting for the Reserve Collection is the closest experience on Princess compared to a Retreat Sky Suite on X. I’m hoping that some of the veteran Princess cruisers can enlighten me on the nuances of the suite experience on Princess. We enjoy the evening performances on X and plan on taking them in on Princess. If there are guest speakers, we may take those in as well depending on the topic.

I guess at the end of the day, what I’m hoping for is not for “this is what you should do” responses (although ideas are always welcome) but more along the lines of “these are the things you should know that aren’t in the glitzy marketing material” type responses. For example, do the Reserve Collection mini-suites have a butler? While the marketing material doesn’t mention one, there are some things they state are “upon request” so would it be the stateroom attendant that handles those?

TIA.

On 12/6/2023 at 8:25 AM, Atlantic Girl said:

We went on our first Azamara cruise last December and loved it so much that we have booked several more. Unfortunately Azamara has consistently has had so many glitches in their new IT system that I have had to call our big box Travel Agency many times to intervene. Although I can get a different agent every time, it doesn’t affect their ability to fix the problems. Every agent has used the approach of all of us being on a conference call and resolving every issue together , while documenting every last detail for future reference. I could not ask for better service than I have received from this travel agency. The shop cards are such a bonus, especially since you can use them for online shopping. 

One of the benefits of dealing with the big box TA is the fact that their agent's aren't commissioned, so anyone you speak with is just as invested and will take as much time as needed to get things straightened out for you as the one that took the original booking.

I've dealt with other TAs over the years and I shudder at having to deal with an agent's backup because I've found that the best I ever got was the bare minimum since they weren't getting anything for their efforts.

Plus, I once had one TA tell me that she wasn't interested in getting me the best bang for my buck because it would reduce her commission. That was the last time I dealt with her or that agency. No, they haven't gone belly up but I vote with my money and between business and personal travel I've spent well over $500k over the decade since that call.

On 11/13/2023 at 2:21 PM, lx200gps said:

We flew out of YUL Transborder "T-1" last month. I notice that the CATSA website makes a slight differentiation between "Verified Traveler" and "Verified Traveler (Transborder(US Flights)", with the principal difference being that if flying to the US, laptops still have to be removed and scanned separately. This certainly was the case when we went through last month.

We flew out of YYZ to MIA on Nov. 3rd and that certainly wasn't our experience. Everything stayed in the bags. Leave it to govt bureaucrats to be consistently inconsistent. 😂 

1 hour ago, horseymike said:

Whenever they Need $$$$$ quickly.

Well they're losing money with me. 😁 We had $1500 USD OBC-N for our next cruise and had used almost all of it up. We were down to about $100 USD but through the couple of sales they've already had we're back up to $550 USD. I'm running out of ideas on what to spend it on. 

3 hours ago, Mark_UK said:

Sadly I just learnt that my parents have both had their passports stolen from their hotel room whilst in Athens. 

 

They are obviously distraught as due to get on Celebrity Apex on Tuesday for a once in a lifetime trip to Egypt, Israel and Turkey. 

 

They've spoke to an emergency embassy number who advised that a temporary travel document won't be accepted on a cruise. 

 

Celebrity via the phone are refusing to help as it was booked via a travel agent who are closed until tomorrow. 

 

Any advice..? do they just have to give up and come home? 

Hoping the best for your parents and that the British embassy can help so they don't miss their cruise. A friend of ours is in Greece right now for a family wedding and had her passport stolen. The Canadian embassy can provide her a replacement, it cost her $435 CAD which is nearly 3x what a 10 yr passport normally costs. 

Thank you everyone for the helpful information. I have no concerns about the more "risque" entertainment, and it is refreshing to see a cruise line that takes a more flexible approach to the age limit when it comes to drinking. Nice to hear that there are some 18 - 20 yr olds on the ships. Little disappointed to hear that the pool is small, but if that's the biggest negative, then I'm ok. 

Thanks again.

Thinking of looking at VV for a cruise over Christmas in 2024 (if they ever release their itineraries 😜) and was wondering if VV would be suitable for an 18 year old. My kids have always enjoyed our cruises on X, and quite happy in the pool and half court on X.

Hoping some of the more seasoned VV sailors here could chime in especially if you've done a cruise with them over Christmas.

TIA.

Went to the Service Canada location in Newmarket back on Aug 21. Got there just before opening and only a handful of people in front of me. Got in and out in under 30 min.

Was told that it would take 25 days to process and if I needed it quicker I'd have to go up to Barrie. Passport just showed up today and was left in my mailbox. No signature required.

I got the old version so no worries about the cover curling up. I had planned on using a clear passport cover to try and control the curling without trapping moisture.

There are a few nice sales on excursions, I saved $156 Canadian on a couple that I had already booked. Not sure what they're think with the bev packages. At least on the Canadian side it's like they just shy of doubled the "regular" price. 

17 minutes ago, Octavias said:

Well that’s a bummer, I’m a Diet Coke drinker.  Guess I’ll have to get my bum outta bed and go get one or start drinking coffee in the mornings! 

duplicate response.

1 hour ago, njsmom said:

My email said 100 million PUP points. I win. 

Mine just said I get to steer the boat on my next cruise..... Great just what I need... To pay for a working vacation. 🤣

3 hours ago, cantgetin said:

Ballpark, 18 months.  Reality--when they have completed negotiations for port schedules, etc.  My suggestion would be to contact a travel agent who specializes in VV, and has cruised it multiple times....that person can let you know a few days before bookings are released and might even have some additional perks for you.  For instance, while on board, anyone can purchase up to 8 future cruise certificates which ARE transferable.  The current deal is that this gives you a $300 discount on the cruise and $600 in "loot" (onboard credit).  My TA always purchases 8 of these when she cruises, knowing that she can sell them to her clients.  If she has hosted an on line seminar recently, she might have additional benefits available.  Don't book on your own.....there are too many good reasons to use an agent when booking VV.  I'm NOT in the travel business, but I know good service when I see it.  VV on the phone has issues.  An agent can avoid this.  And a good agent can be worth her weight in gold.

Thank you. Agree that a good agent is invaluable. Unfortunately the agents up here in Canada don't really offer much in the way of "extras", the best you can hope for is maybe $50 in OBC. The big box store TA is the exception, where you get 8%-9% in a cash card plus if you have their Exec membership you get an additional %2 cash back, but they don't deal with Virgin. If you care to share, I have a link in my signature for email.

2 hours ago, snoozecrooze said:

Caribbean itineraries come out on April 19 for non-Elite folks. Check out the sailings posted below in the dedicated Caribbean thread:

 

No word on Panama Canal or West Coast yet.

 

Thank you.

Dec. 2024 will be a milestone birthday for me, and with both kids in university we were thinking of doing a Christmas cruise to celebrate so that it doesn't interfere with their studies. While the majority of our cruises have been on Celebrity, we have done one on MSC and are interested in looking at what they offer out of NA ports since they seem to go to islands not typically visited by the other lines. Because of travel times, we're focusing on itineraries that leave from a NA or Caribbean port meaning Caribbean, Panama, we'll leave the more exotic locations until we're either empty nesters or the kid's schedule becomes more flexible 😋. How far in advance does MSC typically release the holiday cruise itineraries (yes, I appreciate that things may be different in a post-pandemic world).

TIA.

Dec. 2024 will be a milestone birthday for me, and with both kids in university we were thinking of doing a Christmas cruise to celebrate so that it doesn't interfere with their studies. While the majority of our cruises have been on Celebrity, we are interested in looking at other comparable lines. Because of travel times, we're focusing on itineraries that leave from a NA port meaning Caribbean, Panama, or West Coast itineraries, we'll leave the more exotic locations until we're either empty nesters or the kid's schedule becomes more flexible 😋. How far in advance does Virgin typically release the holiday cruise itineraries (yes, I appreciate that things may be different in a post-pandemic world).

TIA.

Dec. 2024 will be a milestone birthday for me, and with both kids in university we were thinking of doing a Christmas cruise to celebrate so that it doesn't interfere with their studies. While the majority of our cruises have been on Celebrity, we are interested in looking at other comparable lines. Because of travel times, we're focusing on itineraries that leave from a NA port meaning Caribbean, Panama, or West Coast itineraries, we'll leave the more exotic locations until we're either empty nesters or the kid's schedule becomes more flexible 😋. How far in advance does Princess typically release the holiday cruise itineraries (yes, I appreciate that things may be different in a post-pandemic world).

TIA.

On 4/4/2023 at 7:51 PM, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

As soon as I sell my NFT of oceanfront property in Arizona, I'm in!

I'd be willing to trade you for my really cool Bonneville Salt Flats Igloo NFT. Of course I'll miss watching the metaverse land speed trials from it. 😂

On 3/31/2023 at 11:06 PM, RTShaker said:

Please don't give them any ideas.

Don't knock it. It may be very popular with those looking for a change in their upper body workout routine. 😂

Following this thread as we're interested in this itinerary too but in '25

3 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

Our OP and his bride may be in a quarantine of sorts..........

Ah yes, the self imposed "honeymoon quarantine" every afternoon. Back in '02 some friends we made onboard called it "honeymooner nap time". 😛

It is available. I've ordered flowers in the past for DW. When you log into your account, instead of clicking on "Plan my cruise" click on "manage reservation". Scroll down and you'll find Delivery Onboard. The flowers I've ordered are fresh and have lasted at least the entire cruise. 

Personally, I couldn't care less about the "sales" or other banners, as long as it's the itinerary, cabin, and "perks" that I want at a price that I'm comfortable with.

On 2/20/2023 at 7:48 AM, Ex-Airbalancer said:

With a non refundable deposit you lose some money but it still could be worth it to reprice 

I always booked an NRD and have never been charged anything on reprice.